~ Raw comes on the air with Michael Cole meeting up with Vince McMahon who’s conversing with the Stooges. Cole asks Vince about rumors of a major announcement on wwf.com when Gerald Briscoe mentions a tournament. Vince explains a tag team elimination tournament will indeed be held tonight to determine the new #1 contenders The winners of each match will meet in a battle royal to see who faces the Dudleys at Wrestlemania. Pat Patterson then begs Vince to tell them about “the big one” but Vince isn’t ready to reveal his surprise just yet; all he says is this match if it is signed will rock the WWF down to its very foundation. Sounds intriguing. Cole mentions the WWF’s appearance on Saturday Night Live this past weekend and Vince decides to use its opening to lead into the credits.

~ We then go to the intro with Jim Ross welcoming us to the show along with Jerry “The King” Lawler.
The Hardy Boyz vs. Road Dogg & X-Pac (w/Tori) – Tag Team Elimination Tournament Match
The DX’ers make their way out to the ring to their new video and entrance music done by Run DMC. Of course Road Dogg still gets on the mic and tries to sound like a poet as he delivers the usual spiel. X-Pac starts off Matt Hardy but drinks some water and spits it in Matt’s face before applying a headlock. Matt shoves X-Pac into the ropes but X-Pac hits a shoulder block then comes off the ropes with the moves and hits a spin kick. Matt starts to fight back and goes for a whip when X-Pac reverses him into a corner and charges at him but runs into a power slam. Matt goes for a whip when X-Pac reverses it but eats an elbow. Road Dogg tags in and tries to slow Matt’s momentum down so Matt tags Jeff in and Jeff applies an arm wringer. Road Dogg counters with a right hand then whips Jeff but Jeff slides under the ropes and climbs onto the apron. Jeff taunts Road Dogg who tries to dropkick him through the ropes but Jeff flips back in the ring to dodge it then connects with his dropkick through the ropes. Jeff throws Road Dogg back in the ring and covers him for a two count then goes for a whip. Road Dogg reverses Jeff into the corner but Jeff lifts himself up and over Road Dogg and dropkicks him from behind. Jeff catches X-Pac in a corner and takes Road Dogg down by the legs while Matt climbs to the middle rope and the Hardys hit their combo leg drop. Matt then takes over and sets Road Dogg up for a Twist of Fate but X-Pac breaks it up with the spin kick. Road Dogg grabs Matt by the hair and whips him but lowers the head and Matt hits a DDT then tags Jeff in. X-Pac tries to come in but Jeff launches off the prone Road Dogg and hits the Poetry in Motion on X-Pac. Jeff hammers X-Pac in a corner as Road Dogg tries to help him but Matt whips him into the opposite corner and drops to the mat and Jeff hits the Poetry in Motion on Road Dogg. The Hardys turn and do the same to X-Pac then clothesline him over the ropes. Suddenly Kane’s pyro goes off and Kane comes out to the ring and grabs X-Pac by the throat. Tori tries to break it up with a sledge but it has no effect and Kane turns and starts stalking Tori. In the ring Matt hits Road Dogg with the Twist of Fate and Jeff climbs to the top rope and hits the Swanton Bomb for the pin to advance to the battle royal. (4:29) Kane and Paul Bearer eventually chase Tori in the ring where Tori begs the Hardys to help her out. Instead the Hardys throw her right into Kane’s waiting hand and Kane responds with a choke slam. Good fast-paced match to get us started even with the run-in and the crowd was into it. ***

~ Backstage the Helmsleys are .. standing around then start walking somewhere. Oops, I guess they missed their cue.

~ Back from break Triple H and Stephanie McMahon come out to the ring since we didn’t get our opening interview. Triple H gets on the mic and promises he will go into Wrestlemania in 13 days and not only beat The Big Show but The Rock as well. Triple H adds after he’s victorious the fans will have no choice but to get on their knees and respect him. Triple H then figures Vince’s match that will rock the WWF tonight must involve him so he demands Vince come out and reveal it. Instead Shane McMahon and The Big Show come out to the stage and Shane gets on the mic to offer his thoughts, suggesting Vince’s match may just be Triple H defending the WWF Championship against The Big Show tonight. Triple H tells Shane he doesn’t have the defend the title before Wrestlemania although he’d be willing to do so tonight, but if he did it wouldn’t be against Show because he feels he doesn’t deserve it. Show starts to advance down the ramp but before he reaches the ring Vince McMahon makes his way out to the stage. Vince gets on the mic and mentions Triple H willing to defend the WWF Championship tonight saying it will happen. Vince proposes that Triple H defend the championship tonight against The Big Show … and The Rock!! Vince says Wrestlemania is just around the corner but he figures why not have the triple-threat main event tonight! Shane tells Vince he’s on board with that idea while Vince tries to goad Triple H into accepting the challenge. Triple H finally agrees to the match … on the condition that this same match does not happen again at the pay-per-view. Vince accepts that stipulation and responds by telling Triple H to pucker up and kiss his WWF Championship goodbye. Really, they’re seriously going to just give away the Wrestlemania main event on free TV? I imagine this segment angered a lot of people who were ready to buy the pay-per-view only to get told don’t bother. There must be a reason they’re doing this, but I just don’t know what it is.

~ Backstage we find The Godfather getting ready for the next match with his entourage as we go to commercial.

~ Back from break we see the Rock arriving at the building. Not sure if he knows about his big title match being moved up to tonight.
The Godfather (w/the ladies) vs. The Big Bossman (w/Bull Buchanan)
Buchanan (formerly Recon of the Truth Commission) made his debut last night on Heat as Bossman’s new flunky. Godfather leads his women to the ring first and gets on the mic to do his usual spiel for the crowd. Bossman and Buchanan both rush the ring and start beating down Godfather before the bell even rings. Both men whip Godfather and Bossman nails him with his nightstick while Buchanan follows up with an axe kick. Bossman continues pounding on Godfather while Buchanan climbs to the top rope and hits a guillotine leg drop. Bossman and Buchanan then leave Godfather laying so I guess the match never started. BTW Where was D’Lo Brown to make the save for his running buddy? NR

~ Backstage Road Dogg and X-Pac storm into the Helmsleys’ office complaining about Kane’s constant interference and demand something be done about it. Triple H suggests booking him in a match against Rikishi figuring Rikishi just may squash Kane and Road Dogg and X-Pac seem fine with that as we go to commercial.

Too Cool vs. Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn (w/Eddie Guerrero) – Tag Team Elimination Tournament Match
Eddie finally comes out without the sling on his arm. Saturn and Malenko charge in the ring and go to work but Too Cool quickly dump them back out to the floor. Eddie tries to come in but Scotty 2 Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay both dropkick him off the apron. The Radicals try to regroup before Malenko heads in the ring while Sexay leaves Scotty to duke it out with him. Both men lockup and Scotty applies a headlock, Malenko shoves him off but Scotty comes back with a shoulder block. Scotty comes off the ropes and ducks a boot then blocks a hip toss but Malenko bocks Scotty’s hip toss in turn. Scotty hits a back suplex then kips up and moonwalks back to his corner before tagging Sexay back in. Sexay hits a Northern Lights Suplex then whips Malenko but lowers the head and Malenko kicks the face. Saturn tags in and runs into a arm drag but counters it with the head scissors and Sexay hits another arm drag then goes into an arm bar. Saturn whips him and leapfrogs over him but Sexay hits a series of right hands and whips him into a backdrop. Sexay goes for a splash in the corner but Saturn is able to dodge it then scoops Sexay up and rams him into the turnbuckles. Saturn climbs up for a superplex but Sexay blocks it and throws Saturn down to the mat then busts a move and connects with a missile dropkick for a two count. Scotty tags in and goes for a whip but Saturn reverses and clotheslines him down before tagging Malenko in. Malenko whips Scotty into a corner and hits a clothesline followed by a vertical suplex then decks Sexay. Saturn takes over without a tag and whips Scotty into a corner and Scotty lifts himself up with the ropes but Saturn catches Scotty on his shoulder. Scotty manages to slip out of it but Saturn backs him into a corner and slams him to the mat. Saturn climbs to the top rope but Scotty causes him to straddle the turnbuckle and both men are down and start crawling to their corners. Saturn tags in Malenko while Scotty tags in Sexay and Sexay unloads on Malenko with rights then busts a move before clotheslining Malenko and Saturn in succession. Scotty works over Saturn in a corner while Sexay slams Malenko to the mat and whips him right into Saturn. Sexay clotheslines Malenko while Scotty hits the bulldog on Saturn and readies for the Worm on both Radicals. Scotty starts hopping around when Eddie trips him from the floor so Sexay pulls Eddie onto the apron and decks him. Saturn whips Sexay into a corner while Malenko plants Scotty with a power bomb. Saturn distracts the referee while Eddie climbs to the top rope but Sexay throws Eddie right onto Saturn and the two roll out to the floor and argue about the screw-up. Malenko puts Scotty in the Texas Cloverleaf but Sexay super kicks Malenko to break his hold then rolls him up for the three to advance to the battle royal. (5:47) Sexay and Scotty celebrate while Rikishi looks on from backstage and seems happy for his pals’ win. Another great, energetic tag match that the crowd was hot for. ***

~ Back from break we find the Chicago Bears in the crowd tonight.
Kane (w/Paul Bearer) vs. Rikishi Phatu
JR says he learned during the commercial break that Kane and Rikishi will actually team up against Road Dogg and X-Pac at Wrestlemania. I guess Rikishi still has issues with DX as well or something. Both men stand nose-to-nose to start and Rikishi gets in the first shots but Kane throws him into a corner and comes back with his own shots. Rikishi connects with a super kick but Kane sits right up. Kane comes off the ropes and runs into a Samoan Drop but Kane sits up and Rikishi runs into a big boot. Kane choke slams Rikishi but Road Dogg and X-Pac run in and start double-teaming Kane to end this one. (~2:00) Road Dogg and X-Pac continue their assault and Rikishi tries to help out by hitting super kicks on the DX’ers. Rikishi has Road Dogg in a corner and climbs up for the Banzai Drop but X-Pac kicks Rikishi below the belt and drills him with the X-Factor. The DX’ers then get in some last licks before walking off. NR

~ Backstage Kevin Kelly interviews Chris Benoit about his “out of character” actions on Smackdown. As they show clips Benoit says what Kurt Angle does to the WWF gold he currently holds disgusts him. Benoit dares Angle to watch what he does to the supposed #1 contender tonight, Chris Jericho.

~ Michael Cole is then shown standing outside Rock’s door ready to interview him as we go to commercial.

~ Back from break Michael Cole interviews Rock on his title match being done tonight instead of Wrestlemania. Rock instead tells Cole to go find a monkey then chases him off and does the rest of the interview himself. Rock wants the main event to be brought to Chicago and says he’s been ready for the match since last Wrestlemania. Rock tells Triple H and Big Show to know their roles, shut their mouths and smell what he’s cooking.

~ Out in the arena Lawler continues to buzz about the triple threat being done tonight instead of Wrestlemania, asking JR if this is going to be like those deals where they say it’s going to happen only to see it not happen. JR says it’s not like that and claims if the WWF tells you it’s going to happen then it’s guaranteed to happen. Of course there have been exceptions to that rule with Wrestlemania main event (i.e. Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar in 2003).

~ Kurt Angle then hits the ring as JR announces Angle will face Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania. Angle gets on the mic but Chris Jericho’s entrance cuts him off before he says anything. Jericho gets on the mic saying Ben-oyt likes to take himself seriously and he would too if he talked in a monotone robotic voice. Jericho says this “supposed #1 contender” will give Benoit a #1 beating when Benoit jumps him on the ramp.
Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho
Angle joins the announcers for commentary and confirms he will be defending one of his belts against both these men at the pay-per-view. Benoit chops away at Jericho on the floor but Jericho comes back and rams Benoit into the ring post then hits his own chops. Benoit rakes Jericho’s face and rams him into the post then tosses him in the ring. Benoit whips Jericho into a corner and hits an Atomic Drop but Jericho ducks a right hand and hits a chop. Jericho wails on Benoit in a corner and goes for a whip but Benoit counters with a snap suplex for a two count. Benoit looks over and has words with Angle then turns and hits Jericho with a backbreaker for another two. Benoit goes for a back suplex but Jericho turns in mid-air and falls right on top of Benoit for a near fall. Jericho hits a clothesline followed by some knee lifts then hits a double-under hook backbreaker for a near fall. Jericho chops Benoit and Benoit chops back, Jericho rakes the face and goes for a whip but Benoit reverses it and lowers the head. Jericho kicks the face then comes off the ropes but Benoit drops him onto the ropes and follows up with a neck breaker. Benoit whips Jericho and clotheslines him down for another two count then snap mares Jericho to the mat and applies a chin lock. Jericho fights out of it and comes off the ropes but Benoit hits a knee to the chest then suplexes Jericho onto the ropes before whipping him into another knee. Benoit whips Jericho again and kicks him in the chest then comes off the ropes but runs into a drop toehold. Jericho hits a flying forearm followed by some chops then whips Benoit and hits the bulldog for a near fall. Jericho goes for a whip, Benoit reverses him into a corner and goes for a suplex but Jericho flips out of it and dropkicks Benoit out to the floor. Benoit tries to get to his feet but ends up touching Angle’s belts and Angle takes exception and gets in Benoit’s face. Benoit smacks Angle sending one of his medals flying and then catches Jericho with a clothesline and throws him back in the ring. Benoit climbs onto the apron when Jericho knocks him back off to the floor with the springboard dropkick. Angle tosses Benoit back in the ring then grabs his Intercontinental belt and whacks Benoit in the head. Jericho takes advantage and connects with the Lionsault on the fallen Benoit for the three. (6:00) Great match and just a small tease of the epics these two would put on over the next year. Bob Backlund then marches in the ring but Jericho nails him with an elbow and stomps him back out. However this allows Angle to bring his European belt into the ring and whack Jericho in the head with it. Angle stomps on both Jericho and Benoit and Backlund comes in to get a few shots in as well. ***½

~ Back form break we get a replay of Kurt Angle sending a message to Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. We then see Angle and Bob Backlund celebrating backstage and walking past some guy calling for a high five.

~ Elsewhere Al Snow is talking with Steve Blackman about being in Wisconsin for Smackdown on Thursday and wants to get excited about the land of cheese. Blackman tells Snow he isn’t doing anything special so Snow tries bribing Blackman with a dollar. When that doesn’t work Snow decides to let Ben Franklin talk, only he brings in a guy dressed up as Franklin who speaks to Blackman about Wisconsin’s fine cheeses. I swear this angle is getting weirder and weirder.
Crash & Hardcore Holly vs. Al Snow (w/Head) & Steve Blackman – Tag Team Elimination Tournament Match
Crash and Snow lockup to start and Snow slams Crash but misses an elbow drop and Crash gets a headlock. Snow shoves Crash into the ropes but Crash hits a shoulder block then comes off the ropes and flips over Snow. Crash leaps onto Snow’s shoulders but Snow spins him off and grabs him by the arms for the rapid head butts. Snow takes Crash down and kicks him then whips Crash but Crash slides under him and hits a Frankensteiner. Crash comes off the ropes but Blackman nails Crash from behind and Snow follows up with a clothesline. Blackman tags in and whips Crash but misses a clothesline then reverses a whip and hits a gut wrench suplex. Blackman stomps away on Crash as the crowd chants “Head Cheese” so Blackman tries in vain to correct them. Snow tags back in and goes for a whip but Hardcore tags himself in before Crash reverses Snow into him and Hardcore holds Snow up while Crash hits a Hart Attack-like move. Snow grabs Hardcore with a headlock and Hardcore shoves him off and Snow hits a shoulder block. Snow runs right into a hip toss and Hardcore slams him then whips Snow into a corner and Snow kicks the face. Hardcore comes back with an Atomic Drop and follows that up with a clothesline then catches Blackman with a boot while Crash works Snow over. The Hollys whip Snow and drop him to the mat and Hardcore nails Blackman on the floor with a baseball slide. The Hollys double-team Snow in a corner when Tazz makes his way out to the ring with referee Teddy Long and apparently we’re going to have a second match starting up. Tazz goes in and plants Crash with a belly-to-belly then pulls Crash out of the ring and tosses him over the barricade. Tazz brawls with Crash through the crowd while Hardcore is left on his own against two men and Snow does something we miss that gets a two count. Snow whips Hardcore who floats over him into an O’Connor Roll but Blackman makes the save with a boot. Blackman holds Hardcore on his knee while Snow climbs to the top rope and hits the Veg-o-matic for the pin. (4:48) So that’s three teams that have qualified for the battle royal with one more team left to be determined in just a bit. Decent match but the 24/7 Hardcore title stuff derailed it. Also I don’t get why Tazz attacking Crash during the match didn’t result in a DQ. Speaking of which we never did see Crash again so the announcers get word that Crash has managed to escape from the building. **

~ They then show the full version of the DX entrance video done by Run DMC.

~ After that GTV makes a surprise reappearance as it shows Terri Runnels and The Kat talking backstage. Kat asks Terri if she’s alright after getting speared by Edge last week and Terri says she’s still feeling the pains. However Terri says her pain is nothing like the pain Kat must feel not being on TV all that much anymore.
Edge & Christian vs. The Acolytes – Tag Team Elimination Tournament Match
This match will determine who joins the Hardys, Too Cool and Snow & Blackman in the battle royal later. Edge goes out to meet both men at ringside while Christian hits the springboard plancha over the ropes n Bradshaw and Faarooq. E&C throw Bradshaw in the ring and Christian goes for a whip but Bradshaw reverses it and hits a boot. Bradshaw clubs Christian in the back then tags Faarooq in and Faarooq pounds on Christian with right hands. Christian starts to fight back and comes off the ropes but runs right into a spine buster that gets a two count. Faarooq rams Christian into a boot and the Acolytes double-team him in their corner before Bradshaw tags in. The Acolytes whip Christian and hit a double shoulder block and Bradshaw turns and pops Edge on the apron. Bradshaw slams Christian to the mat and follows up with an elbow drop for a near fall then Faarooq tags in and whips Christian into a clothesline. Faarooq goes for the Dominator but Christian is able to slip out of it and hit a Slop Drop then makes the hot tag to Edge as Mideon makes his way out to the ring with a mop. Edge climbs to the top rope and hits a flying shoulder tackle then comes off the ropes with a spinning heel kick. Edge dropkicks Bradshaw and Christian tries to come in but Bradshaw tosses him back out through the ropes. The Acolytes hit Edge with the double neck breaker but Christian pulls Faarooq out to the floor to duke it out. Mideon readies the mop as Bradshaw goes to whip Edge but Edge reverses and Mideon nails Bradshaw instead. Bradshaw stumbles into the Downward Spiral from Edge and Edge gets the pin for the final spot in the final. (2:48) This was a solid enough match. Mideon goes in to try and explains his screw-up but the Acolytes respond by beating him down. Bradshaw hits the Clothesline from Hades and Faarooq hits the Dominator before they leave Mideon laying. I wonder if this beating is going to be deducted from the poker money Mideon still owes the two. **½

~ Back from break we get clips of Jerry Tolliver driving the Stone Cold funny car to victory in Gainesville yesterday.
Val Venis vs. Test (w/Trish Stratus)
If you missed my previous recap Trish made her WWF debut the previous night in Heat and here she is as Test’s manager. Test and Val slap hands before locking up and Test applies a headlock but Val shoves him into the ropes and Test hits a shoulder block. Test comes off the ropes but runs into a drop toehold and Val gets in some shots. Val whips Test but Test ducks a clothesline and hits the full nelson slam but Val chops him in a corner and goes for whip. Test reverses Val hard into the other corner then whips him back into the first corner. Test goes for another whip, Val reverses him into a corner and goes for a splash but Test sidesteps him. Test goes for the pump-handle slam but Val floats over and hits a sloppy power bomb but only gets a near fall. Val pulls Test into a knee to the chest twice then hits a Russian leg sweep when Trish hops on the apron and gets Val’s attention. That allows Test to nail Val from behind and Test goes for a whip but Val reverses it and gets an O’Connor roll. However Test reverses into his own rollup and grabs the tights for the pin. (2:47) Val takes exception to that and hammers away on Test when Prince Albert runs in and nails Val from behind. Albert press slams Val and Test tees off on him while Albert helps Trish in the ring. Trish grabs a mic and calls Test and Albert off then tells the fans she knows what everyone wants to see. Trish then proclaims Test and Albert as “T ‘n A” and I guess we have ourselves a new heel tag team. **

~ We then get clips of The Rock hosting Saturday Night Live this past weekend including his various sketches and his Wrestlemania opponents crashing the party. I wonder if people who watched it were curious why Mick Foley joined in on the fun as well but probably didn’t think much of it at the time. Unless…
The Hardys vs. Too Cool vs. Edge & Christian vs. Al Snow & Steve Blackman – #1 Contender’s Battle Royal
Standard battle royal rules here except for when one man is tossed over the ropes his whole team is eliminated. As the four teams assemble in the ring The Dudleys have decided to join the announcers for commentary. All eight men go right at it and Matt Hardy and Edge almost eliminate Snow but Grandmaster Sexay stops that. Sexay tries to dump Matt over the ropes while Jeff does the same to Christian but neither man is successful. Matt tries to eliminate Sexay but can’t get him over and Snow fails to dump Edge over the ropes as well. E&C double-team Jeff when Matt comes to his aid while Scotty 2 Hotty and Sexay whips Blackman into Snow and Snow falls over accidentally head butting Blackman below the belt. Scotty drills Blackman with a bulldog and follows up with the Worm but Snow tosses Scotty over the ropes for the first elimination. (1:25) Matt quickly follows up by tossing Snow over the ropes sending him and Blackman out of the match. (1:27) That just leaves the Hardys and Edge & Christian to get the tag title shot at Wrestlemania. Both sides waste no time and Edge tosses Matt over the ropes but Matt holds on and lands on the apron. Jeff tosses Christian over the ropes but he holds onto the ropes as well and is able to roll back in the ring. Jeff whips Christian and both men face jam each other into the mat while Edge hits Matt with the flying head scissors. Edge charges at Matt but eats a boot and Matt hits a sleeper slam but Christian hits him with a Slop Drop. Jeff hits Christian with the Twist of Fate then climbs to the top rope and connects with the Swanton Bomb. Edge spears Jeff when the Dudleys decide to get involved so they head in the ring and lay Edge and Matt out with 3Ds. Bubba slides a table in the ring then D’Von sets it up in a corner then places Christian on it. Bubba hops to the middle rope as D’Von passes Jeff over and Bubba who super bombs him through Christian and the table and I guess that’s it. (3:44) Entertaining for what it was but renders the tournament pointless since we still don’t have #1 contenders set up for Wrestlemania. Maybe this will get solved on Smackdown. NR

~ The Rock is shown heading to the ring for the main event as we go to commercial.

Triple H tees off on Rock and Show chokes Rock on the middle rope but Rock once again starts fighting back. Rock comes off the ropes but runs into an elbow and Triple H tells Show to hammers him with knee drops which he does. Triple H has Show throw Rock through the ropes then goes out and pounds on Rock before going for a whip but Rock reverses Triple H into the ring steps. Rock heads back in the ring but Show greets him with stomps and Triple H elbows Rock in the throat. Show hits a knee drop below the belt before Triple H hits a knee drop and Show throws Rock into a corner. Rock fights back against both men and whips Triple H but lowers the head and Triple H kicks the face and hits a clothesline. Triple H sets Rock in a corner where Show chokes him with his boot. Triple H then tries to get Show off Rock but Show shoves him away so Triple H flies at him with a right hand. Now Triple H unloads on Show and goes for a whip but Show reverses it and connects with a massive elbow. Show chops Triple H in a corner then gets in a shot on Rock in the other corner and turns back but eats a boot. Rock follows up with a clothesline then pounds on Triple H in a corner and caps off with the Smackdown again. Rock drills Show with a DDT then plants Triple H with a Samoan Drop and covers but only gets a two count. The crowd really thought Rock had it there and was ready to explode. Show choke slams Rock and covers him as Shane gets excited on the floor but Triple H barely makes the save. Triple H goes for a whip, Show reverses it but lowers the head and Triple H connects with the face buster sending Show rolling out to the floor. Triple H goes out and rams Show into the announce table then climbs onto the announce table but Show grabs him and choke slams him all the way off to the floor. Show climbs back in the ring but Rock plants him with the spine buster and readies for the People’s Elbow. Rock starts to go for the ropes but ends up tumbling out to the floor after Shane pulls down the top rope. Shane grabs a chair and whacks Rock with it but Vince goes over and sends Shane flying with a right hand. Vince grabs the chair and readies a swing at Shane but Triple H grabs it from Vince and pops him in the face. Triple H whacks Show with the chair then goes in and hits the Pedigree and it’s over!! Triple H retains!! (12:02) Rock gets to his feet and realizes what happened then chases after Shane over the barricade into the crowd. Pretty good and the rock was rocking throughout but still after all that Triple H is still the champion and we now don’t have a main event for Wrestlemania. ***½

However as the Helmsleys head up the ramp the Corporation theme fires up again and out comes … Linda McMahon. Linda has a mic ready but before she says anything Triple H has to first tackle a fan who hopped the barricade. Once that’s cleared up Linda congratulates Triple H and says there will indeed be no return match at Wrestlemania. Linda asks what the main event should be now and suggests Triple H, The Rock, and Big Show should be a part of it as well as a certain someone who should finally realize his dream of main-eventing Wrestlemania. At this point the crowd quickly realizes who’s coming and gets excited. Linda announces the WWF Championship match at Wrestlemania will now be a fatal-four way elimination match with Triple H defending the belt against the Rock, Big Show and the man returning for one night only … Mick Foley!! On that note Foley comes out to a huge pop and tears right into Triple H before throwing him in the ring with the title belt. Triple H comes back but Foley beats him down in a corner then turns and whacks Show in the head with the belt. Foley then lays Triple H out with the belt and poses with it high over his head getting his wish after all as Raw goes off the air.
Conclusion: Well there are two ways to look at this episode of Raw. On its own it’s a pretty good show with some great in-ring action and an exciting main event plus the crowd was hot throughout the program. There were a couple of segments that meant nothing but still this was a very entertaining two hours. But then you have to look at it in the grand scheme of things and realize you just had the Wrestlemania main event being given away on free TV two weeks before the actual pay-per-view, only to see a new main event for the super card made up on the spot. Then you have Mick Foley coming back from his retirement after making that great speech about No Way Out being his last match if he failed to win the title. So we had Rock, Foley and Show all losing matches to qualify for the ‘Mania main event only for all three to be allowed to challenge Triple H, pretty much nullifying all the main angles of the past two months. Plus the mid-card is hardly getting any real attention with only two other matches set for the super card with some questionable build. 2000 may have been great for in-ring action but you can’t ignore some of the head-scratching booking like you find on this show.

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